I want to remove a 10'X12' stone wall around my woodburning fireplace (it goes up to the cathedral ceiling and has a long bulky hearth). I'd like to replace it with dry wall, and tile around the fireplace with glass and travertine. These stones are the real-deal and vary in size from HUGE to small. They are well laid, well-grouted, and heavy. I thought I might rent a demo hammer/chisel to do the work myself. Anything I should think about before starting this project?

Consider renting some scaffold to stand on. Wear a hard hat or helmet. Protect the floor well with padded materials. Might be easier with a helper and a power tool.

Yes, I thought about renting a demo hammer/chisel, but they want $70 for 1/2 a day. Pretty ridiculous in my opinion. The scafolding is a great idea. I will have the help of my daughters (20 and 21). Not sure where to get a hard hat, LOL.

You can grab a simple hard hat online. For example: http://www.amazon.com/MSA-Safe...-1&keywords=hard+hat

The hammer chisel would no doubt make the work go faster, but if you are worried about damage to the floor, hand tools are probably the most controlled way to demo the wall stone-by-stone, hopefully without anything big coming crashing down.

Also, why not save the stone to reclaim some of your cost..

A bike helmet would be better than nothing!

LOL! Thanks for the good advice. I purchased a heavy chisle and a 4 lb hammer (looks like a mini sledge). I was able to remove the stone from the entire wall in about 3 hours. The hard hat was a supreme idea. When I reached the bottom portions of the wall, I frequently had grout and other fragments rain down on my head. Some of my hammar swings came back a bit too far and glanced off the hard hat as well...saved me from self-inflicted stupidity. The salvageable stone will be reused to face a future fire pit or line a future small pond I am planning. Whichever comes first! The stones were placed over wire mesh on regular drywall...seemed strange to me, but whoever built the wall was an excellent craftsperson. It was solid and sturdy! Tonight? Down comes the dry wall to the studs...sigh...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KDEL,